Nizamettin Tas
Encyclopedia
Nizamettin Tas also known as Botan Rojhilat , was one of the oldest and military commanders of the PKK
. He was born in Varto
, Turkey
and joined the PKK in 1986 and became the military commander of the organisation in the 1995. He headed the People's Liberation Army of Kurdistan, the military wing of the PKK and was a member of the PKK Central Committee. He also served in the PKK's Presidency Council. When Abdullah Öcalan
was arrested in 1998, he backed Cemil Bayek against Abdullah Öcalan's brother Osman Öcalan
. He left the PKK in the early 2000s, when he rejected violence and formed the non-violent Patriotic Democratic Party (PWD) and often criticizes the PKK's leadership. He currently lives in Iraqi Kurdistan
.
Kurdistan Workers' Party
The Kurdistan Workers' Party , commonly known as PKK, also known as KGK and formerly known as KADEK or KONGRA-GEL , is a Kurdish organization which has since 1984 been fighting an armed struggle against the Turkish state for an autonomous Kurdistan and greater cultural and political rights...
. He was born in Varto
Varto
Varto is a town in eastern Turkey occupied primarily by Kurdish people.Varto was the site of a major fighting during the Sheikh Said rebellion in 1924, and the 1966 earthquake that killed nearly 3,000 people....
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
and joined the PKK in 1986 and became the military commander of the organisation in the 1995. He headed the People's Liberation Army of Kurdistan, the military wing of the PKK and was a member of the PKK Central Committee. He also served in the PKK's Presidency Council. When Abdullah Öcalan
Abdullah Öcalan
Abdullah Öcalan , Kurdish founder of the terrorist organization called Kurdistan Workers' Party in 1978.Öcalan was captured in Nairobi and extradited to the Turkish security force, and sentenced to death under Article 125 of the Turkish Penal Code, which concerns the formation of armed gangs...
was arrested in 1998, he backed Cemil Bayek against Abdullah Öcalan's brother Osman Öcalan
Osman Ocalan
Osman Öcalan is a former Kurdish militant leader.The younger brother of Abdullah Öcalan, Osman studied at teachers’ training college before joining the PKK when it was founded in 1978 and spending two years in Libya...
. He left the PKK in the early 2000s, when he rejected violence and formed the non-violent Patriotic Democratic Party (PWD) and often criticizes the PKK's leadership. He currently lives in Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan
Iraqi Kurdistan or Kurdistan Region is an autonomous region of Iraq. It borders Iran to the east, Turkey to the north, Syria to the west and the rest of Iraq to the south. The regional capital is Arbil, known in Kurdish as Hewlêr...
.